Almost as certain as death and taxes is the public’s feeling that the U.S. income tax system is not fair. An Ipsos Poll released this week found almost six of 10 people, 58 percent, say the system is unjust, a number that is virtually unchanged from two decades ago. People think the middle class, the self-employed and small businesses pay too much in taxes, the poll found. And they think those with high incomes and big businesses don’t pay enough. The survey was conducted in the days before the mid-April deadline for filing income tax returns.Dissatisfaction with the tax system remains high after numerous changes in tax law since the late 1980s. The Reagan administration led a tax overhaul two decades ago that significantly lowered tax rates and eliminated or reduced several deductions. The first President Bush abandoned his “read my lips, no new taxes pledge” in a 1990 budget deal that raised taxes.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com

Libya has marked the 20th anniversary of the US bombing raids on Tripoli and Benghazi with a high-profile concert. US soul singer Lionel Ritchie and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras performed in front of the bombed house of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital. About 40 people died in the attacks on 15 April 1986, including Col Gaddafi's adopted daughter, Hanna. President Ronald Reagan ordered the strikes, accusing Libya of involvement in bombing a nightclub in Berlin. Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman were killed and least 230 people injured in the explosion. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4911434.stm

Chad threatened Saturday to cut off its flow of oil unless the World Bank releases $125 million frozen in a dispute over how the central African country should spend its oil revenues.The announcement followed a late-night meeting between President Idriss Deby and his Cabinet ministers to discuss their response to a rebel attack on the capital. The rebels were repulsed but are believed to be regrouping nearby, and the threat of a violent overthrow of Deby's government has not diminished.The government presumably wants the frozen funds to finance its fight against the rebels.Oil Minister Mahmat Hassan Nasser told the Associated Press that the World Bank in January froze an escrow account with $125 million in oil royalties in London, where the royalties are deposited on behalf of the government. Without payment, the government would have to shut down the pipeline that flows through Cameroon to an Atlantic Ocean oil terminal, he said....http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-04-15-chad-oil-pipeline_x.htm

Police in Nepal have baton-charged a large group of protesting journalists, arresting nearly 20, as a general strike took hold in the country. Several hundred gathered in Kathmandu demanding the restoration of press freedom and the release of journalists detained under King Gyanendra. The protest came as political parties opposed to the king started to enforce a nationwide shutdown. It is the tenth day of the strike, but many have ignored it in recent days. On Saturday, however, the capital's streets were largely free of vehicles, as young opposition activists set out to enforce a ban. Public transport was not running, although many shops remained open. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4911780.stm

The families of two boys missing for almost a month said Saturday that their bodies had been recovered from a park lagoon near where they disappeared. Purvis Virginia Parker, 11, and Quadrevion Henning, 12, were last seen on the afternoon of March 19 when they asked Quadrevion's grandfather if they could play basketball at the nearby park. The bodies were found in the park lagoon on Friday. "Honestly I don't think there was any foul play," said Dennis Frazier, Quadrevion's uncle. "That makes it kind of nice for the family that they weren't held against their own will." Police did not immediately confirmed the identities. Autopsies were scheduled Saturday and police scheduled a news conference for later in the day. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1845966&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Afghan government forces have been pursuing Taleban fighters in the south after a major battle. The clashes in Kandahar province on Friday were some of the most serious in a recent upsurge of fighting. The governor of Kandahar said seven police were killed and the bodies of 13 Taleban had been found - but that there were reports of up to 41 Taleban dead. On Saturday further shots were fired as police and army units searched for other insurgents. Correspondents say it is the first time in a long while that so many Taleban have clashed with police and the national army in the restive province of Kandahar. Previous violence has consisted of suicide attacks and roadside bombs, says the BBC's Alistair Leithead in Kandahar. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4911462.stm